“Dad!  I am so excited for my woody!”  I snort diet coke through my nose.  “Griffin, what are you talking about?”  “My Woody! It’s coming in three days!”  Polly whispers, “Halloween costume.”   Ohhh.

Nice segue because this was the year of “the talk”.  I knew I might have some work to do when we are in the supermarket and Cooper goes, “Wait.  Buffaloes have wings?”  I never really had a “talk” so had no idea what it was supposed to sound like.  You say all of those words out loud and you do really start to marvel that you could convince anybody to participate.  I wimped out – I got Ben a book.

“Any questions?”
“Not really Dad.”
Huh.
“Nothing?”
“Nope.”

So Ben is our 13 year old.  I had to start a rule that every answer had to be at least three words long but that only got me from my day was “good” to “It was good.”

Cooper, seeing his first semi-explanatory movie at school was more verbose.  “OH MY GOD.  MY LIFE WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THAT.”

New topics of education aside, the big trend this year is that everybody is starting to have opinions.  Especially Christian, our 3 year old.
“GRIFFIN – OBEY ME!”
“NO!”
“GRIFFIN, THOSE ARE MY <fill in virtually anything>”
An irritated Griffin emerged from the family room about 10 minutes later and said, “Christian just called me a smarthole.”  Griffin, Polly and I looked at each other not entirely sure how to think about that.

I’ve decided this is the year when we likely have more “stuff” than we will ever have again.  Jackets, toothpaste, toys, strollers, soccer balls, pens, toasters, water bottles, books, marbles, fish, baseball gloves.  There is a thin line between a house and a dorm.

On the proud parent front, Ben (7th grade) was selected for 8th grade math, Cooper got to play baseball at the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, Griffin became a YouTube star at the Talent Show with a phenomenal “Who’s on First skit” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ksglv8U4g – he is on the left) and Christian broke up with both Pampers and pacifiers.  Well, there was a slight boomerang relationship with the pacifier but then there was an argument about whose family they were going to spend the holidays with and, well, they are not speaking to each other anymore.

Polly and I sit like hamsters in the marbles and baseball gloves.  Well, generally I sit and she is a tornado of mailing labels, food, phone calls, schedules, thank you notes, math hints, fund raising and water bottles.  <sigh>.  I am writing this note!

I started to part my hair on the other side.  So I have that going on.  Polly said she couldn’t tell one way or the other.  I don’t understand that.  I can clearly see my 12 hairs in the mirror.

It’s a magical season and we hope that magic is finding it’s way to you.  We are as crazy as always but full of laughter and hugs if you are ever in the neighborhood.  We hope you have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!

All love,
Christian, Polly, Ben, Cooper, Griffin and Christian